Out of Loving Protection
by Fae 206
Summary: Follows Animated Series. Fox has reached the end of his twilight years and his strength and agility isn't what it used to be. Afraid of losing her mate, Vixen takes him to a pond she found in a hidden area of the park which restores youth but following an accident Fox becomes a cub again. Can Vixen help him gain his memories whilst taking care of the adventurous love of her life?
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This is my first time writing an AoFW fic and so I hope that you enjoy it. I recently re-watched the cartoon but I've been a fan of this show since I was five and watched it over and over again on VHS. This younger fox story was inspired by **Lilly The Omega Wolf** and their story **Chaos in the Park**. I really hope you enjoy.

 **Out of Loving Protection**

 **Chapter One**

The winter mist was settling in and the clouds were blocking the sun more and more each day. This was a definite sign that it was the end of autumn and that they would once again need to stock up on food or else rely on one another to get through the harsh cold. Although the expansion of the park a year ago had brought with it new friends, new places to explore, the fact that it had been a year since Fox had passed the torch to his grandson had shown his decline in his age.

He was reaching the last period of his life now and Vixen felt that she was reaching hers. Their stories were legendary and they lived under their own rules, well, it wasn't as if Plucky had the boldness to tell his grandfather to do anything. Still Fox had taken ill recently and Vixen knew that he needed his rest. She was getting old too.

She looked around. She hadn't been to this part of the park before and she wondered why. They had found it pleasant to explore the park and discover new things but why hadn't they discovered this part together? In fact, it didn't seem that anybody had discovered this part, at least not any of their friends.

Taking a step forward she looked into a pond that appeared to be glittering and she lowered her head, she felt an impulse to drink. As she lapped up the water, she felt it cool and refreshing and as she lifted her head, she could see that she looked slightly younger and more refreshed. She felt more energy through her body and she felt healthier as well.

That was strange.

A bird flew over head and Vixen looked up to see that it was a young male hawk but in its eyes was a lot of wisdom. "Excuse me," the female animal smiled to her companion. "Is this your…territory?"

"It's public land," the hawk replied but tilted his head to the side, "I see that you've drunk the water."

"I did," Vixen nodded, "Was that all right? It was very refreshing."

"It's a magic lake, restores all that youth," the hawk replied and Vixen blinked, she wasn't sure that she had heard the hawk okay. "Looks as if you've gained at least a year of your life," he laughed and Vixen blinked.

"With just that little drink?" Vixen asked as she studied her reflection again, well she definitely looked younger. "Would it be able to help my mate?" she inquired, her eyes connecting with the bird's, "only, I fear that he doesn't have much time left and I would feel terrible going on without him."

"Anyone who drinks from that pool will regain their health and live a longer life," the hawk told her and Vixen nodded.

"Thank you," she smiled before making sure to commit her route to memory. If she could get him here then maybe she could save him.

…

…..

As she entered her den, she took a look at her mate, the famous Farthing Fox and saw him shivering. Maybe she shouldn't have left him but they had needed food. As she approached him, her eyes caught hold of the dead stoat she had killed for him and how he hadn't touched it. He was losing weight rapidly and she could see how ill he had become.

"Fox?" she asked as she took a step forward, "Are you-"

"Back already," Fox whispered without the energy to lift his head or even open his eyes. "I missed you. I'm sorry for making you do…all the hard work."

"Nonsense," Vixen whispered as she walked over to him and nuzzled the side of his face, licking him and smoothing back his fur. She could feel the bones in his cheeks. "You have always taken care of me, now it's my turn to take care of you."

"You shouldn't have to," Fox said as he finally looked at her and gave a slight chuckle, "You are a beautiful Vixen, aren't you?" he said. "I'd say you look even younger than you did this morning. Sorry that I'll have to leave you."

"You might not have to," Vixen tried to persuade him, "May I show you something?" she asked. "It'll be a short walk."

"I don't think that I could take a single step," Fox replied as he closed his eyes once again and Vixen closed her eyes sadly. He truly looked as if he could pass at any moment and she would be left without her mate.

"If you do nothing else," she continued as she stood in front of him, "Then please do this for me, you can lean on me on the way and we can take as many breaks as you need to. I just need to show you this. If it is the last thing that you do for me then please do it," she begged with tears starting to cloud her vision.

Fox took a deep inhale and pushed himself up, his legs shaking a little and Vixen felt bad seeing the bones and how matted his fur had become, she licked his body trying to help him. He was far from his glory days.

"Come on," she whispered to him, "It's not far, still within park boundaries."

Fox nodded as he slowly made his way out of their den and Vixen moved at his pace, she saw the pain he was going through moving from their set but it was worth it if that hawk was right. He noted how his vision wasn't as sharp as it had been but he followed his mate. He trusted her. Vixen nuzzled him again as he stopped to catch his breath. He really had lived a long life.

After some time they had come to the pond and Fox was drawing ragged breaths, he looked as if he could faint at any moment and Vixen didn't know if he would be able to be revived. She led him over to the pond.

"This water is wonderful, it'll at least offer some relief," she told him and Fox turned to her with a smile.

"You brought me here for a drink?" he asked her and Vixen nodded. She waited for him to get to the water's edge but as his front paw hit a rock, he tumbled forwards without her able to stop him. Her eyes widened. He'd drown.

She looked into the pond, her heart beating painfully as she searched for him. Had she just led to her mate's death? She saw some red fur amongst the shining stones and put her front paws into the water, she paddled forwards until she could grab some of the fur and she brought it back to the side of the pond. Her eyes felt different and she shook her body to get the water out of her coat.

"Fox?" she asked before taking a step back.

No wonder his body had felt lighter. This wasn't her mate that she was looking at, this was a child, barely a month old. She went to the pond and studied herself, she was younger too, in fact she looked as she had when she had met him. She heard the young cub coughing up water and moved back beside him.

"Fox, I am so so sorry," she said as she tried to smooth out his fur. Her eyes were wide as she gazed upon him. "Are you okay, my love?" she asked and saw the cub sneeze. Maybe coming here was a mistake. Should she jump in too? Allow the water to turn her young? No, Fox still needed somebody to care for him, he was too young.

"Mother?" the young fox asked as he looked at her, his voice sounding like a child's.

Vixen's breath caught in her throat as she struggled to form a response. The young cub must be terrified, especially if he didn't have his memories though she definitely had hers. She shook her head and saw him looking up at her. He blinked his eyes and let out a yawn.

"Where's Mother?" he asked as he looked around and Vixen sighed.

"Your mother has given me the honor of taking care of you," she said as she pressed her head against his cheek and tried to comfort him as she had her own cubs. "I'm to take you back home. My name is Vixen," she said although her heart was breaking.

"Mother called me Fox because I'm the oldest," the cub said and Vixen nodded.

"It's such a good name, it suits you," she told him, "Now, I'm going to take you home so please don't struggle, I don't mean any harm to you." She hadn't meant any harm anyway and now she was in this very strange situation. She leaned down and took him by the scruff of his neck before returning to their set. This was a result of her actions and she certainly wasn't going to let another take care of her now tiny mate…if he could be considered her mate.

….

…

Vixen kept her eyes on the young cub as he slept in a ball. She could see him shivering and wished that she could help him but was scared of getting too close. He sneezed again which alerted her and she moved over to him. "Why don't you curl up next to me and I'll keep you warm," she advised before licking his head and straightening his fur. "You curled up next to your mother, right?"

"Yes," the young fox squeaked back.

Vixen smiled sadly upon the baby as he curled in as tight as he could to her belly. She let her head fall down and smiled as his eyes closed. It had been a rough day for him today, he had been a fox at the end of his life when he woke up and he was a cub at the beginning of his life when he had fallen asleep. She rubbed her cheek against the top of his head and heard the sounds of sleep.

"I love you, Fox," she whispered as a few tears slid down her face. They had lived such a wonderful life together and he was known as a hero but he didn't remember her and he didn't remember anything about their life together. All of those legendary things that he was known for and now he was a baby who was so pure and innocent.

"Love you too, Vixen" she heard the cub say, "Thanks for bringing me the stoat, you clever girl," he said in his sleep and Vixen stared at him. It was weird hearing a baby say this to her but she licked his head again and put her head on her paws, her tail circling around him.

"You just sleep, my love," she said as she saw him smile, "I'll take care of you and protect you. Just rely on me." As she saw how blissfully he was sleeping, Vixen closed her own eyes and settled down to sleep. Hopefully her body would keep him warm through the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Twilight hour was always good for hunting but Vixen resolved herself to stay in the set. She gently pressed her nose behind the cub's ear and sighed, she really hadn't wished for him to be this young but she was glad that he was alive. She licked him affectionately, her mind battling between whether it was okay to mother him so much or whether she should hold back and give him some air. It was a hard decision for her.

"Fox," she said gently wanting to test him, "I'm glad so many of our friends are alive despite others growing old and passing on. At least we have each other, right?"

"You couldn't expect for so many animals to live such long lives but if we had stayed in Farthing Wood, they would never have their lives last for so long. Not without water. And we get to see so many of the next generation of hares and squirrels and the moles," Fox commented and Vixen smiled. At least his memories were in tact when he was sleeping despite the voice being so young.

"I do miss our walks together but are you feeling better?" Vixen asked him and Fox smiled.

"I'm doing better, my lungs feel clearer, my heart stronger, I feel young again," he said before yawning. As he opened his eyes though, he had a more confused look on his face and he backed away from her fearfully. He looked around the set. "This isn't home. This isn't…where are my siblings?" he asked nervously before looking down. "Mother said not to go off on my own or I'd get lost."

Vixen smiled sadly as she saw that the memories had left him as he had woken up. At least she could speak to him when he was half asleep and have the old Fox back. She sat up, wrapping her tail around her paws.

"Are you often going off on your own?" she asked him trying to act kind and as if he were one of her own cubs. She should have had more than one litter with Fox but there were other things that had gotten in the way such as blue foxes and rats. She regretted not having more cubs with him.

"Well, I like seeing different things in the woods," Fox admitted. "Mother says I'm a bold one because I like adventuring. Can I do some adventuring today?" he asked with a proud glimmer in his eyes. Vixen watched him, seeing the sparks of her mate in his younger form.

"How about we go together? There might be dangerous things around here," she tried to protect him, her concern showing. She didn't want him to become overwhelmed if there were other animals who wanted to interact with him. She wasn't sure how confident he was. He had always appeared confident.

"Dangers?" Fox blinked as he turned his head to the side and blinked at her. "Are there any dangers here?"

"Well, not that I know of," Vixen said honestly, "but this isn't the Farthing Woods, I'm afraid. This is an entirely new place and I would feel it a great honor to accompany you today," she told him and Fox nodded, he let out a yawn and scratched himself behind the ear.

"Don't you have a mate?" he asked her and Vixen felt her breath catch in her chest.

"Well, yes, but he's away right now. I know he's safe though and that's all that matters, now, aren't we going to go out?" she asked and Fox blinked at her before nodding. "Good, I fancy a little bit of a stroll," she tried to say kindly although she couldn't ignore the fear that he might somehow get into trouble.

…..

…..

Vixen made sure to keep her steps slow so that the young cub could keep up with her. She smiled upon him affectionately as he looked at her paws but as soon as he raised his head to look at her she sat down and watched a bird flying in the night sky. She didn't know this one. She looked down at Fox, trying to act as a mother to him rather than his mate.

"Do you see those birds up there?" she asked as she raised a paw and then paused as the young fox cub started to run around in a circle before rolling on the ground. She had to admit that he looked adorable. She wished that she had gotten to know him as pups, it would have been very interesting and quite enjoyable. "Fox?" she asked and saw the baby animal looking at her.

"Oh, sorry," he said as he approached her and sat beside her. He looked up at the sky. "Do you think we could catch them?" he asked and Vixen turned to him surprised.

"No, I don't think that we could reach up so high, maybe after they've landed," she said before seeing the younger version of her mate run ahead to jump upon a pine cone. She laughed gently as she saw him start to kick it in the air. He really was a lot like her Bold.

"What have we got here, then?" Vixen heard a familiar voice and she stepped forwards. She bowed her head as she saw the blue fox and gently put a paw on Fox's side so that he would pay attention. "Wow, if I didn't know any better then I'd sa-"

"Ranger, what do I owe the pleasure this night?" Vixen asked as Ranger gaped at her.

"What on earth?" he asked as he looked her over, "Vixen? How can you…you look younger than…how could…"

"I'm not sure how exactly but there was a magical pond, I know that it sounds strange and not very likely but I found a place in this park where the water turns you young again. I only wanted a drink but Fox…"

"I heard," Ranger said as he bowed his head, "Owl told Charmer this morning, very unlikely to get through the night is what she said. I wanted to come 'ere and pay my respects. I know that my father cau-"

"I don't blame you for what your father did, Ranger, and neither does Fox," Vixen replied before she nudged Fox who slipped behind her paw. Ranger paused as he looked at the cub, he did have similar markings to the Farthing Fox but he was fluffier, smaller, less dignified.

"Is that who I think it is?" Ranger asked as he looked between the two foxes. He pause as he saw the cub approach him and sit in front of him.

"Why are you blue?" the tiny Fox answered and Ranger took a step back, still trying to recover from his shock.

"Be kind," Vixen whispered and Fox blinked.

"I'm Fox," he grinned before looking at Vixen again and turned back to Ranger. "Sorry if that was unkind, what's your name?" he asked with a grin and Ranger looked once more between the other animals. He tried to calm himself and bowed his head so he could look Fox eye to eye.

"Name's Ranger, been on this land since my birth, long ancestry of blue foxes. It's nice to meet you…little guy," he said before hearing his name being called and took a weak breath in. He had recently had his own cubs born, three boys and one girl. It was because of their network of friends that he and Charmer could leave them at home.

"Ranger, what's going on?" Charmer asked before staring at the Vixen opposite her. "Mother?" she gasped as her eyes widened and she felt so strange. She was older than her own mother. She froze before trying to smile. Her eyes widened even more as she saw the tiny cub that Vixen was protecting, even younger than her own cubs. "Is that-"

"This is Fox," Vixen said with a firm look in her eyes for neither of the other two to upset the baby fox. "He is very _innocent_ and has a lot to learn," she said as Fox sighed and rolled his eyes. Charmer nodded along slowly and Vixen bent down, lifting Fox in her mouth. Charmer's eyes flashed in surprise, her father would never let himself be carried like this if he was in his own mind, far too proud.

"I see," Charmer smiled, "Well I think that Plucky ought to be told of this," she said as she thought about how shocked her nephew would be. Despite him being the leader of the animals on Farthing ground and of Farthing descent, Charmer couldn't see her nephew feeling confident enough to start telling his grandfather what to do.

Vixen placed Fox down who looked at her confused. "Ranger," she asked with a tilt of her head, "Would you mind looking after Fox for just a moment or so, I'd like to discuss something with Charmer," she requested.

"Right," Ranger nodded as he looked around, "Let's play with that pine cone. That seems like a fun thing to do. Never really had the chance to play much as a kid. My mother would've let me but my dad didn't encourage us to have fun," he commented as he located the object that Fox had been playing with.

Charmer followed her mother a little distance away but where they could still keep the male foxes in sight. "I'm afraid that I don't quite understand what's going on," she said honestly as she saw the baby fox wag his tail and pounce upon the pine cone that Ranger was holding down for him. "Are you sure that that truly is Father?" she asked and Vixen nodded.

"You saw your father yesterday morning, you saw how weak he was and you persuaded him to eat. I thought that if there was a pond where he could restore some of his health, it was worth getting a drink but he fell into the pond instead. When I was able to rescue him we had both grown significantly younger." Vixen bowed her head solemnly and Charmer moved closer to her, gently comforting her now younger mother.

"I was so scared that he would pass away last night," Charmer admitted honestly. "He has been through so much, his skin was hanging off of him and he wouldn't eat. If this is how his life has been saved then I suppose we'll all have to adjust. It's comforting in a way, to see him so free and happy."

"I believe that he has retained some of his own memories as well," Vixen told her and saw Fox wrestling with Ranger who was being very considerate and gentle with him. "Last night as he curled beside me, he started talking as he usually does. He knew of our past together and even events that had occurred before sunset yesterday. When he woke up, he didn't remember any of that."

"In that case then maybe it will come back to him," Charmer commented and Vixen placed a paw on top of her daughter's, giving her a meaningful look.

"If he does remember and if he is able to defend himself without me being there, I'm going to go back to that pond," she commented and Charmer blinked. "I am going to become a young vixen myself, I made myself a promise a long time ago after being hunted by hounds and men that I would stay with your father. If that means that I become a young one again then the cost is worth it."

Charmer nodded, "I understand," she told her mother, "Your children are all grown…well me and Friendly are grown. If you want to live a full life with Father again then I understand that and Ranger and I will do anything we can to help."

Vixen smiled to her and bowed her head, "Thank you. I am grateful for that and so proud to have you and Ranger as our children."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** A lot of different character interactions in this chapter but hope you still enjoy.

 **Chapter Three**

Ranger stared at the young and energetic fox cub as he tried to get the pine cone away from him. He kind of imagined Fox being this way when he was younger. It was the events in his adult life that had left for him to be so wise, restrained, and contemplative. He had had to deal with the end of his woods when it got filled in by man, he had to cope with the loss of his children, with different animals threatening lives, and then with the toll of being a leader on a journey where he had had to protect smaller animals and was almost drowned by rabbits.

After living that type of life where normal foxes wouldn't have made those sacrifices, this kid in front of him deserved to be happy. He quickly threw the pinecone out and watched Fox pounce onto it before rolling onto his side.

Wasn't there a tale that some of the animals told about coming back to life and the idea that you could come back as another animal? He thought he had heard something about that in the past. Would he have wanted it though? To be young again. Nah, given his horrible memories of childhood he wouldn't want to relive that. His father would have never approved of this lifestyle.

"Are you two having fun playing?" Vixen asked as she put her paw on the pinecone and gave a look down to Fox as if telling him it was time to go and so he should stop playing for right now.

Fox panted as he looked up at her energetically. "Yes, it was really really fun!" he commented before turning around to face Ranger, his tail wagging. "Thank you" he smiled happily and Ranger blinked before nodding, Charmer nuzzling him. She was trying to hold back her sadness at her father not recognizing her, at least he was alive.

"You're welcome. I had fun too," he said and Charmer gestured for the two of them to go off on their own. "We'll have to uh…play again some time, right?" he asked and Fox nodded happily. "Great, well, we'll see each other again, I'm sure," he said and Charmer smiled down kindly.

"It was very nice to meet with the two of you tonight. Stay safe, okay?" she smiled at the cub, thinking that the safest thing to do would be to not tell him that she was actually his daughter and he had been much older than he was right now. She wanted him to enjoy his life no matter the pain in her own heart.

"Yeah!" Fox grinned and Vixen said goodbye to her kin. She started to clean some of the leaves off of Fox's coat. He seemed to enjoy his playtime regardless of whether his coat got messy, she'd have to keep note of that because that's how Bold always was when he was little.

"Shall we continue our walk?" Vixen said kindly and Fox nodded again. They walked through the nature reserve and Fox looked around as there was a rustle that could be heard. His eyes were bright and were filled with the innocence of a child. Vixen came to sit beside him. "What's wrong?"

"What is wrong indeed is the question," Owl said, perched above them on the branch of one of the nearby trees. Fox looked around trying to see who was talking and then sat down and stared at the bird, tilting his head from side to side. "I had decided to come here to see if you needed any help after the passing of your mate and I find you with another cub. Am I to presume…"

"Owl, why would you need to ask that?" Vixen asked as she picked Fox up recognizing that the way his tail was moving meant that he could bound off wanting to chase the large and old bird. She had seen it before in other young foxes and her own cubs as well. Bold had always been ready to pounce on other animals. It was funny how Fox was making her think about Bold rather than her children collectively but her heart still twisted and burned over that painful loss.

"To my knowledge," Owl said, "You are entertaining a younger gentleman right now."

Vixen's jaw dropped and Fox fell down, staring up at her confused. Vixen gently licked him behind his ear hoping that he hadn't been hurt when he fell. She blinked at Owl, "He's just a child. I'm looking after him. He's just a child," she argued and Owl nodded.

"Those who have often lost the ones that they loved seem to find love in all kinds of strange places however, yes, he is only a cub," Owl told her and Fox went to the tree that she was in. "However," Owl said with a tilt of her head, "Considering those markings, I assume this is Fox's cub that was hidden from us."

"You have two facts right," Vixen said as she looked at the younger version of the mate she had found for herself such a long time ago. "This _is_ a cub and he is related to Fox," she said not knowing how to approach the truth that this was Fox.

"It's a bird, can we chase it?" he asked her as he looked back with bright eyes and Vixen shook her head.

"No, Owl is a friend," she informed him. She put a hand on his back. She didn't want anyone else to know about the pond until she had decided whether or not to turn herself younger as well and live out the rest of her days with her mate. Hopefully they would still fall in love again. "We have to respect our friends whether they are foxes or not."

"Owl," Vixen said as she tried to look over at Fox. She didn't want to talk about the pond that Fox had fallen into but she could try to say that there was _some_ magic somewhere and hope that the other animals didn't go looking for it. "This _is_ Fox, he got caught under a magic spell and turned young again. His memories are gone," she also explained and Owl turned to the child.

"It takes a fool to believe in magic spells and an even greater one to believe in that fool," Owl stated and Vixen rolled her eyes. Had she just called her an idiot?

"Let's go back now, I'm feeling a little sleepy," Vixen told Fox who turned back at her and blinked before nodding he looked up through the branches at Owl and smiled.

"Good night, Bird!" he said and Owl humphed. Vixen picked Fox up by the scruff of his neck. She couldn't believe that Owl didn't believe in the magic that there was very visible proof of. Just what kind of an animal did they think she was.

….

….

Charmer stood outside the set late in the following evening, she looked at her mother before dropping her head down. "Plucky says that he'll come tomorrow. He said that he wanted to come tonight but he just wants to be respectful. I know how much family means to him so he _will_ come."

"My dear," Vixen nuzzled her daughter, "I have no doubt in my mind that he _will_ come," she said before looking around. "I was going to try to hunt for dinner but I don't want to leave him alone. I think he deserves something good to eat so if yo-"

"I can share some of the food that Ranger and I catch for our family," Charmer said quickly and Vixen shook her head.

"I feel that your father wouldn't like me taking from the two of you. He would have tried to stick with his own pride. I'll be fine. He'll be fine by himself, I'm sure."

Charmer looked at the set and then sighed she took another step forward, "Mother, let me stay with Father tonight," she told him and Vixen hesitated. Fox barely knew who they were and whilst she trusted Charmer to keep him calm was it fair on either of them. Fox might not know her and that would negative afec- "I'd like to spend some time with him. Seeing him so frail was quite hard on me," she commented. "I would consider it healing to spend some time together with him."

"If you're sure," Vixen hesitated wondering if she should just accept the offer of having Ranger catch extra food for them. If Charmer was offering then she and Ranger were still young and able, she was an older Vixen and whilst she _could_ battle, her children were younger and faster than she was.

"I would like to stay with him," Charmer repeated and Vixen sighed.

"Then I'm not going to stop you," she replied before Charmer moved into the set and found the fox tod version of her father asleep in a ball.

"Hi," she whispered as she sat with him, putting her body around his to keep him warm like she had done with her own children. She let her head rest on the ground next to his.

"Charmer?" he asked and Charmer blinked, his voice didn't sound as innocent anymore though it was still a young voice. It was as if the tone were different. "You didn't have to come."

"I wanted to spend some time with you," she whispered as she listened to his breathing. At least he was alive. "I'm sorry I haven't given you the best life."

"Daddy," Charmer whispered and heard the young Fox hum, "I'm glad to be your daughter. I find pride in telling everyone who my parents are," she said. "I'm glad that I still get to be with you, Daddy."

"Your brother and sister, it's my fault that they are no longer here," Fox said and Charmer wrapped her body around him so he was cuddled in close.

"It's not, Father" she said as she let her nose rub against the top of his head. "Not your fault at all. You are my father and I love you. Now sleep, I know how tired you must be," she said though she really hoped he would fall into a deeper sleep so that his mind would be that of the fox who had raised her, his daughter. No wonder her mother had wanted to join him, her parents were truly amazing.

 **End of Chapter Three**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Plucky's eyes widened as the fox cub sat in front of him the following morning in the still dark hours of the previous night. He looked to Dash for confirmation that she was seeing the same thing and then took a deep breath in.

Fox bowed his head and took a deep breath in, "I'm sorry," he apologized and Plucky blinked in surprise, "Did I do something wrong? Vixen told me you were the wise fox who was leader of this land," he stated and Plucky took another look to Dash before focusing his attention on his much younger grandfather, the fox who had been described that way in the past.

"No, no." Plucky turned to Vixen with a soft smile, "Not wrong. No. You haven't done anything wrong I just…I'm used to being one of the younger foxes here," he said not wanting to admit that he was used to being much younger than Fox out of fear that it might hurt him or scare him.

"That girl Charmer has babies," Fox commented and Plucky nodded.

"Yeah," he said not wanting to tell Fox that Charmer was his daughter and Plucky's aunt. It seemed better to just pretend that this was a new fox in the park and Fox had given him everything, it was respectful towards him to help him adjust to this new life. "I forgot about that. I can't really use you for hunting or fighting so…how about you stick with Vixen until she determines what your skills are."

"My skills?" Fox asked with a tilt of his head.

"Well, some foxes are better at navigating territory or they are explorers or they can gather food better, there are many different roles that a fox can do. I'm sure that your mother was going to explain it all to you, sweetheart" Vixen said as she nuzzled him in a motherly way. Plucky nodded slowly.

"And Plucky is the leader?" Fox wanted to verify and Vixen nodded.

"Yes, Plucky is our leader. He makes decisions that benefit all the animals of the park. He's very wise and was chosen by the former leader to be able to lead us," Vixen smiled to her grandson. "Thank you," she whispered and Plucky nodded before turning. As he turned, his eyes grew wider. What was going on here? This sort of thing shouldn't be happening.

"Wow," Plucky mouthed to Dash who looked into the distance.

"If only to be young again, I could even improve on my long distance speed," she sighed and Plucky nudged her, she fell to the side before laughing. "I'll race you. It'll get your mind off of things."

"I feel like I definitely need that," Plucky told her before sprinting off.

…..

…..

Fox looked up at Vixen with excitement as they made their way back to the den. Vixen smiled although she was battling internally. This fox had been her mate and now he was just a baby, she couldn't really interact with him in a loving way as she had before. Even though the old Fox appeared during his sleep, it would feel like taking advantage of him.

Vixen allowed herself to daydream a little too much and she wasn't aware when Fox had bounded off and pinned a creature under his paw, growling at it aggressively. "Fox!" she called and the tod looked back at her confused, "Here, now. Let that…whatever it is go," she said and Fox sighed before lifting his paw off of the squirming creature.

Vixen went over to look at what he had attacked and sighed. This was Cleo and although the Weasel family sometimes could irritate everyone, it wasn't right to attack them.

"Eeew!" Cleo said loudly, "Not fair! It's not fair to do that! You could have ea-"

"Yes," Vixen nodded, "My apologies, Cleo," she said before going over to Fox who had his head down and his tail around his legs expecting to be scolded for his natural instincts. She walked over to the young cub. "Are you all right?" she asked as she licked his fur.

"Is he all right!?" Weasel asked loudly as she went to pick Cleo up. "He just tried to eat my daughter! Rabid foxes like him ought to be banned. I mean, poison isn't enough to kill them, is it? To think that I expected better from you."

Vixen shot her a sharp look, "I'm teaching him how things are in the park, Weasel, and I'm very sorry. You should know that I don't intend to cause harm on either of your children or on your whole family. Such a thing shouldn't happen again and I'm glad that it didn't end up worse but he is still young and he's acting on natural instinct," she said as she tried to make sure that Fox was okay.

"Is this one of your friends?" Fox asked her and Vixen nodded. "I'm sorry. I forgot," he apologized before turning back, "Are you okay? Is she okay?"

"No thanks to you," Weasel said as she folded her arms across her chest but then turned around again. Her eyes widened. He looked just like the fox that she used to know but in baby form. Was it common for foxes to have the same markings? "Blimey! You look just like him."

"Just like who?" Cleo asked and Weasel put a paw over her daughter's mouth.

"Yeah, just like the Farthing Wood Fox," Weasel said before laughing. "Funny, you could almost _be_ the Farth-"

"He is," Vixen nodded and Weasel looked at her stunned. "I'll fill you in on the details later but Fox and I should go back to our den and get some sleep," she nudged him with her nose and he nodded as he passed by the weasels again.

"I'm really sorry," he apologized and Vixen nuzzled him again.

"So, what is this?" Weasel asked as she moved her paws to her hips. "Some kind of fountain of youth because I'd love to be young again, myself! Hate all these aches that I feel. Wanna be a young weasel again!" she called and Vixen attempted to ignore her. She wanted to get fox home and she didn't want to risk the exposure of the pond. She would want to use that herself.

"Right, hog it all to yourself!" Weasel yelled after them. "I won't tell you about _my_ magic," she turned to storm off but Measly was standing right in front of her.

"Oooh! You have magic powers, I wanna know what they are," he said and Weasel looked away.

"Well, you can't know. They're a secret," she stated and Measly clapped his hands.

"I just love a secret," he said happily, "Go on tell me, pleeease?" he asked and Weasel shook her head. "Like is it bad magic or or is it good magic?" he asked and Weasel still kept walking away. "You have to tell me, you're my mate. After all we've gone through you have to tell me what magic powers you have."

"How about the magic to make you stay quiet?" Weasel huffed and Measly stopped and thought about it.

"No. I don't think you have that one," he said and Weasel rolled her eyes.

…

…

As they got back to the set, Vixen curved her body and allowed Fox to settle down with her, she licked his face as she groomed him. As long as she kept trying to think about herself in a motherly way, the two of them would be okay. She just had to set limits for herself because she didn't want to force him into anything uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry that I hurt your friend," he apologized and Vixen shook her head, nuzzling him again.

"You didn't know better, it's good that you know now," she told him lovingly, she stretched her leg out and yawned and he followed her. She sighed. "I told you about the oath of mutual protection, right?" she asked and Fox nodded.

"We help one another," he told her and Vixen smiled with a soft nod. "I like that, helping each other."

"I know because you're such a good boy," she told him and he closed his eyes. "I'm so proud of you," she whispered as he started to fall asleep. "I love you so much, Fox."

"I love you too, Vixen" he replied and Vixen wrapped herself up closer to him, she smiled as she heard his words. At least the true Fox was still in there. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

It was only a couple of hours later that Vixen heard scrambling and she turned to see the tiny Fox was having some kind of a nightmare or…had he just woken up from a nightmare. She saw him looking at his paw and his tail as if he were some kind of mutated life form. "Fox, Fox, what is it?" she asked as she came to him. "Slow down. Can you stop and tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm a cub," he told her and Vixen nodded. This confused her. He should be used to this by now, it had been a few days since it had happened. She looked at his wide eyes and the love that was inside of them and her head started to scramble before she realized what was going on. This was _Fox_ Fox.

"Calm down, okay?" she asked as she nuzzled him, "Just slow down. What do you last remember?"

"Falling," he said in a panicked voice, "I fell into that pond that you wanted to take me to. I…I was just supposed to drink but I fell. I don't know what's happening. My body is younger. My body should be dead, I was dying."

"And your life was saved by you falling into that pond but it gave you youth," Vixen told him slowly, making eye contact the whole time in an attempt to keep him calm. "You've been young for a few days. I don't think there's a cure but because you're so young, I'm trying to look after you, protect you."

Fox sighed and dropped his head, "Then I've failed you," he told her and Vixen blinked confused by that statement. "I've always tried to be the one to keep you safe," he said, "I'm the male. I'm supposed to protect you."

"Darn your chivalry," Vixen laughed before stepping forwards to him. "I always looked at it differently, we protected each other, we stayed strong for one another. I still love you," she said and he smiled weakly. "I'll go back to the pond tonight. I'll become a kit again."

"As much as I'd love to do this again with you," Fox said, "You're right. Unless we know there's no danger, we need to protect one another," he said and Vixen sighed before lying down and gestured for him to come and join her. Slowly he did and she wrapped her tail around him more.

Would things be like this when it was time for both of them to wake up?

 **End of Chapter Four**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you** RicoRodriguez2018 **for reviewing Chapter Three**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Vixen looked towards Fox again feeling quite protective of him. She had felt that she was in charge of his safety before and she had made her peace with that but that the actual Fox had appeared whilst awake made her feel like she needed to guard him. She understood his reasonings but there were enough of their friends around for her to become young as well. He was just being stubborn.

"Vixen?" Fox asked in the tiny child's voice. Vixen nuzzled him again. "You're still awake."

"Then what do you think you are?" Vixen joked as she had her body wrapped around him for warmth, she reached her paw out and tapped his nose before licking the top of his head. She sighed, "Did you wake up or have you been awake all this time."

"It's hard to sleep when you feel like you're so young and energetic," he told her and Vixen felt as if she were talking to the real Fox, she hoped that was the case. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" she asked as she managed to smooth his fur back as if he were one of their offspring. "My love, there's nothing for you to feel sorry about. We're together. That's what matters most to me."

"If I hadn't fallen in," he murmured and Vixen gently unwrapped her body from around him so that they could look at each other face to face. She shook her head as she saw his guilt and the fear in his youthful expression. She nuzzled his face with her nose knowing that, if she didn't know that this was Fox, she would never act this way to a baby.

"You were ill, your movements were unstable and what matters most is that we're together and we're both alive," she looked to the side, "until a little while ago your thoughts hadn't matched with the old you. There are several of our friends and family members who think that you have the mind of a child. I think it's something that is easy to fix but -"

"How about we don't fix it?" he asked with a tilt of his head and Vixen took a deep breath in.

"We _don't_ fix it?" she asked and Fox nodded. "You mean that you want everyone to treat you as if you're a tod again?" she put a paw out and gently rubbed his cheek. "That being said you are an extremely adorable youngster. I think that I would be competing with other young kits if we had both grown up in the same area."

"They would have never stood a chance," Fox laughed and Vixen lowered her head with a coy smile. "If we tell anyone then…then two animals, we can make sure that two animals know."

"If you're thinking of Friendly and Charmer then I'd involve Ranger as well," Vixen advised and Fox swallowed hard, he knew that that was the case and he knew that Ranger would keep it quiet but he didn't want to bring too many animals in. If only Dreamer and Bold were alive. He chuckled, what would Bold have thought about him in this state.

"I want to go back to the pond," Vixen said stubbornly and Fox looked up at her quickly. He knew that they needed protection and two young fox cubs didn't afford much protection when it came to hunters or predatory animals. Also, he had lost his memories when he had fallen in and he didn't want Vixen to be the same. Still, his mate was stubborn and he loved that about her. She was not only stubborn but very independent and intelligent, she was also kind and usually selfless. If this was what she wanted then he wanted to be able to give it to her.

"Do you think that they'd be awake?" Fox asked and Vixen smiled.

"Maybe not but it would be good to check on them," Vixen smiled, "Follow my lead," she chuckled and Fox followed her, still bouncing with fresh energy. She smiled. Hopefully Fox would keep his memories. She could trust him to make sure that she was cared for if he stayed him. He would always be the animal she trusted the most.

…

…

Charmer blinked in shock as she turned to Ranger once Vixen had told her the idea. She would feel weird talking to parents who were younger than her but she had always envied their fairytale story, the romance between the two of them. It was something that she hoped that she and Ranger could also achieve.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked and Vixen nodded. "And before…you didn't know anything about…"

"I didn't remember anything about my older life," Fox told her before bowing his head. "Now I do. I made so many mistakes as your father, I apologize for that. I was stubborn and misguided and it has caused those around me pain but we might be able to start anew," he said as he turned towards Vixen. Vixen smiled and nuzzled his cheek.

"I mean, it sounds like a fun idea," Ranger said as he turned to Charmer. "Living life as a kid and starting all over again. If it weren't for our cubs, might consider the idea myself. Probably would have a better childhood that way…without my dad, you know."

"Your father is usually off topic," Charmer reminded him but with a quick look to her Father. She didn't want to reignite that anger towards blue foxes. It had been a while since that type of color-biased had been discussed and she had never met a red fox with the traits that Ranger had. "If this is truly what you want, we will support you. You can stay near us for a little while if you need protection."

"Yeah," Ranger smiled, "Make a set near ours, it's kind of lonesome having the two of you so far away."

Vixen smiled to them but then saw Fox sitting up and looking at Ranger patiently. He put a hand to his nose and cleaned it before focusing on Ranger again. "Thank you," he said and the blue fox took a half step back, he hadn't been expecting that. "For playing with me earlier, for forgiving me," he said and Ranger laughed.

"No worries," he replied before raising a paw, "and that can be the end of that. It's nice to be thanked but trust me, you've been more supportive than most people in my life. It's water down the other end of the stream," he smiled and Charmer grinned at the noble nature of her mate. "So, you might as well go quickly if this is happening. Thanks for letting us know."

"Shall I accompany you?" Charmer asked, "To make sure that nothing happens."

"There's no need," Vixen said before rubbing her cheek against her daughter's, Charmer's eyes widening but then she sighed and closed them. She wanted to remember the nurturing nature of her mother. It was because of her parents that she had been able to enjoy this happy life. If this was what they wanted then it wasn't her role as child to get in the way, it was her duty to support them and do anything she could to help.

Vixen turned her back to the them before walking off with Fox trying to keep pace beside her. When they were both young again it would take a longer time to return back home.

Vixen enjoyed the feeling of the moon shining down upon them as they reached the place where the lake was, she moved closer to the edge and looked at Fox who was standing there trying to make sure that she was okay. "I'm going to do it slowly," she told him as she put her nose down to start drinking. She didn't know how long it would take but she wanted to be young like him, she wanted to live that romantic part of her life all over again but with someone who she trusted and had chosen.

She had her mate and they would finally be able to live as foxes without the extra responsibilities of leaders and guardians to smaller creatures.

…

…

As the sun rose higher in the sky, Vixen opened her eyes. She had been drinking and had fallen asleep as if basked in some kind of warm light. She looked to the side where Fox appeared bigger than he had been. Had it worked? She stretched out a paw and yawned before jumping up. She seemed to remember everything but Fox hadn't. Had the spell affected her differently? She stood on wobbly legs before looking at her reflection, she turned to him excitedly.

"I'm -" she said in a childlike voice, she turned to see him jump onto a rock and she turned to look at herself again, "I'm-"

"Absolutely gorgeous," Fox winked at her, "I knew that you would be."

Vixen bowed her head before feeling a smile there. She felt a little giddy and excited but she was happy. She was able to be with her mate again, she could really _be_ with him again. "You're the cute one," she said as she jumped up and then tackled him playfully, knocking him onto his back as she pinned him down. She licked his cheek as she thought about how adorable and sweet he looked.

"Still strong in your nature," he winked, "You're the most amazing Vixen that I've ever -"

"I'm not a vixen anymore," she said, "I'm a kit."

Fox rolled his eyes before pushing a paw to her nose and she giggled. "Is that what I call you, Kit?" he asked and Vixen shook her head. She jumped off of him and he got up onto his feet.

"We can still call each other by the names we had when we fell in love," she nuzzled his nose. "And I _am_ still in love, very much so," she said before taking a look around. "Shall we go home?" she asked him and he nodded. The two laughed as they talked about how big the world was, how their tracks were so much smaller, how they had more energy.

They were talking about all of this until Vixen froze. There was an unknown dog in the park. She stiffened. Although there were some nice dogs, there were also dogs who hated foxes and were trained to hunt them. They had no protection out here. "He-hello," she said before seeing Fox stand in front of her wanting to protect her.

"Hey," Fox said with a bold look in his eyes, "Can we help you?"

 **End of Chapter Five**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to RicoRodriguez2018 for reviewing Chapter Four**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** This is a shorter chapter but I like the story movement

 **Chapter Six**

The dog turned to look at the two of them and Fox positioned himself in between the two of them. He didn't want that dog to even _look_ at Vixen in the wrong way. Fox took deep breaths in before rubbing his head against Vixen's, nuzzling her, an then stepped forwards. "Are you friend or foe?" he asked and the dog stared at him again. He turned his head to the side and Fox saw that he was looking at a tree.

"Searching," the dog said and Fox growled again. He never had the patience in his youth to deal with these types of creatures. He wanted decisiveness and he was starting to feel in this smaller and younger body that those same impatient tendencies were coming back to him.

"Well, spit it out," Fox challenged him, "What the hell are you searching for?"

"Fox," Vixen said softly and Fox didn't look at her again, his attention was definitely drawn onto the dog. He growled again and the dog continued to look off into the distance, "May we help you?" Vixe called out and Fox's body tensed. What was Vixen doing trying to have a conversation with this animal.

"He doesn't understand, he's just a stupid dog," Fox said and the dog turned back to them with wet eyes. He growled a little before whining and Vixen watched him. Despite dogs having the ability to hurt foxes, Vixen wasn't sure about this particular dog. He hadn't hurt either of them yet and he had a lot of time in which he could have done it.

"He's not stupid," Vixen tried to correct Fox before taking a step forward so that she was at Fox's side which seemed to agitate the tod, he looked at her before his eyes went back to the dog with a threatening gaze. If anything happened to Vixen then he would rip his throat out. "He could have attacked us already. So, what is it…do you have a name?"

"Whiskey," the dog said as he looked around again and Fox shared a look with Vixen, that was quite a unique name.

"Okay," Vixen said softly, "Whiskey. Are you supposed to be here in this park? This park is home to a lot of different types of animals and we all try to be friendly with one another. Do you have a home or…."

"Lost," Whiskey said and Vixen hummed with a weak sigh. Fox looked between the two of them and Vixen tried to slow her breathing so that she could approach the situation with sensitivity and also intelligence. There had to be some kind of plan that they could form.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Vixen said and Fox sighed as he nodded along with what she was saying. "Do you happen to know your way back?" she asked and the dog shook his head. "What breed are you?" she asked, not really able to make it out from the shadows in which he was standing.

The dog looked at her nervously, "Collie, they say sheep dog," he said and Vixen hummed again.

"You should go back to your master," Fox said and Vixen turned to him. "Your master most likely is looking for you. He won't be checking this park unless you can get to the warden. I think that the best way is to take you to his house but…but I'd prefer to just give you directions."

"'Cause you're small?" Whiskey asked and Vixen saw Fox sigh.

"We may be small but we're older than we look. If you're uncomfortable with Fox helping you to find your home, I'd be more than happy to," Vixen offered and Whiskey nodded as he studied them. Vixen turned to Fox who was still standing in a position of defense, having been taught to handle himself by protecting himself and the ones he loved first. She turned to him and nuzzled his cheek with her nose.

"He's just a young dog," she whispered, "He doesn't have to stay here."

"He better _not_ stay here," Fox growled and Vixen sighed before continuing to nuzzle him. Hopefully Fox's temper would die down sooner rather than later. Making a new friend used to bring the Fox that she knew such joy but she did understand. Their bodies were younger and smaller and they hadn't developed many ways on how to protect themselves.

"Come on," Vixen said as she started to run ahead of them, "Follow me," she said and Whiskey chased after her. Fox watched the two of them. He felt uncomfortable seeing a dog chasing Vixen because it reminded him of when they had first met one another. It was during the hunt and he had seen Vixen chased by dogs and nearly trampled by a horse. She would have been killed had it not been for Adder. He owed that snake still although some said that he had already repaid his debt many times over.

Fox saw Vixen turn back to look at him and he just sat there. Was changing to a younger fox wrong? He had felt that it would be the right thing to do as they could stay together and maybe relive their lives, have new offspring, live a life where they didn't travel across the roads and the rivers and the fields full of toxic cabbages.

"Are you coming?" Vixen called out to him and Fox felt his stomach twist.

"No, but I trust you," he told her and Vixen stared at him worried. Fox knew in her eyes was the desire that they would do everything together but he had a lot to think about and he wouldn't be able to do that outside of the safety of the park's perimeters.

…..

…..

As Fox went back to their set, feeling guilty about leaving Vixen all alone, he smelled something that he hadn't experienced recently. The smell of foxes, foxes that he didn't know. It wasn't since Scarface and the other blue foxes that he had experienced this type of scent. He really wanted them to be good-natured foxes instead of antagonistic. They had had enough antagonists here as it was.

"You're a cutie," a voice said as Fox heard something from behind a tree, he turned when he saw a white fox and blinked hard. He had seen blue foxes, he _was_ a red fox, but white foxes. Now things were getting ridiculous. He turned to stare at the arctic fox, she had a good scent but he had a mate and nobody could compare with his Vixen.

"Thank you, I have to get home," he told her and the fox moved towards him. Behind here was another one of her size and then a much larger one. The larger one must be their mother.

"We don't want you to go," the younger arctic fox said. "Imagine us, we were found by some human and taken away to this strange place where we don't know anyone. Then we meet with a really cute fox cub and he ignores us. We want you to show us around."

"What my daughters are trying to say is that we want you to come with us and join our set. You'll have a lot of fresh food and warmth and unless your mother is around here then…" the adult fox said and Fox felt his own breath catch inside of his throat. They were bigger and older than him at this point but he had once been older than all of them. He didn't know how to explain his position to someone with no knowledge of his legacy.

"Well," Weasel laughed as she came out of the bushes and Fox turned his attention to her, not sure how to handle the situation alone. Being young definitely came with some kind of insecurity. "Wellity wellity, I think you should go and have a bit of a snuggle."

"Stoat," the arctic fox growled and Weasel turned to her.

"Well, that's just rude and uncalled for," she said before looking at the younger foxes. "See, I'm sure Vixen won't mind and there's two of them, more snuggle time."

"Stop it!" Fox snapped as he couldn't believe his bad luck. He saw the mother fox leap out and trap Weasel under her paw.

"Heelp!" the weaker animal yelled, "Heelp! They're trying to kill me! I thought you were my friend," she sobbed hysterically and Fox reached out and gestured for the mother fox to release Weasel from underneath her paw.

Fox managed to get Weasel to her feet and looked ahead at the mother fox, "Where did you guys come from? Do you know of a dog?" he asked and the mother fox looked at him.

"Are you talking about Whiskey?" she asked before turning her head to the side, using her ears to listen out for him but there was nothing.

"You know him?" Fox asked in surprise and the mother fox sighed.

"Things are very hard to explain but I do hope that he's all right, he's a big softy," she said and Fox nodded. With Vixen at his side, he was most likely going to be just fine.

 **End of Chapter Six**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to RicoRodriguez2018 for their review on Chapter Five**


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